She is one of the "astral deities of the universe," and is considered to be among the most powerful entities known.

In the Sumerian pantheon the moon-god, Nanna, or Sin, was the chief astral deity, and the sun-god, Utu, was regarded as the offspring of Nanna and his consort Ningal.

The Jebusites observed an astral cult involving Shalem, an astral deity identified with the Evening star in Ugaritic mythology, besides Tzedek "righteousness" and El Elyon, the "most high God".

The center of the circular top depicts the seven stars of the Northern Dipper (which was considered to be a powerful astral deity), whereas the rim of both the disk and the square base are inscribed with astro-calendrical signs that helped to perform divination.